


Hold On Tight

by maddiedoesntknow



Series: Literati Deleted Scenes [2]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: F/M, Platonic Romance, Pre-Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-09 00:43:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3229835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiedoesntknow/pseuds/maddiedoesntknow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Literati deleted scene: Lorelai’s Graduation Day</p><p>Rory's first time on the subway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hold On Tight

> It was darker and dirtier than she had expected. It smelled, too. Well, most of New York smelled. The city wasn’t exactly known for it’s clean streets or its new car odor, and yet she was fascinated by it. There weren’t a lot of people in the station. Rory wasn’t sure if that made her less nervous or more. She could feel herself tense up, and apparently it was visible. 
> 
> "Hey, relax," Jess whispered, playfully bumping their shoulders, "Nothin’s gonna happen." 
> 
> She looked up at him, returning the little smile he gave her, and bumped him back. They held each other’s gaze a little too long, and were brought out of their trance when a bit of Rory’s hotdog toppings dripped onto her shoe.
> 
> "Oops!" Rory exclaimed as she looked down at her dirtied saddle shoe. 
> 
> "I got it." 
> 
> Rather swiftly, Jess pulled a napkin out of his jacket pocket, and leaned down to wipe the condiments from her foot. 
> 
> "Such a gentleman!" Rory fawned teasingly. Jess came up just as smoothly as he went down, and threw the used napkin into the nearby trashcan. 
> 
> "Oh yeah, my mother sure raised me right," he replied darkly. 
> 
> Things between them grew quite, both of them occupied with finishing their lunch. Luckily, last bites were taken just as the train pulled into the station. 
> 
> "You think you’re ready for this, Gilmore?"
> 
> "Oh I was born ready, Mariano." 
> 
>  
> 
> The doors to the car opened and Jess gestured to the entrance, allowing her to go in first. The only problem was, Rory wasn’t sure whether they could fit inside. She had seen movies with crowded subway cars. She had even read about the absurdly packed Tokyo Metro, where guards had to literally force passengers inside to close the doors completely. However, reading and experiencing were two different things entirely, and Rory wasn’t sure she was all too down for this particular experience. 
> 
> She glanced at Jess, giving him a look of doubtfulness.
> 
> He just rolled his eyes, grabbed her waist, and led her on board. Somehow, some way, Jess Mariano, being the true blooded New Yorker that he was, seamlessly pushed them through the crowd far enough to reach the center pole. 
> 
> It wasn’t so bad now that they were inside, thought Rory. Everyone seemed to be conscious of the space they took up, and no one looked uncomfortably packed, like sardines in a can. Rory could see herself being a subway regular. Waking up in the morning, getting her coffee from the corner Starbucks, and making her way to her job at the New York Ti—
> 
> "Woah!"
> 
> The train took off, and Rory, obviously not understanding the full purpose of the poles that were strategically placed around the car, flew backwards into Jess. He caught her with no trouble, laughing at her misstep and helping her upright.
> 
> "Steady there, Eliza. The book is supposed to stay  _on top_  of your head.” 
> 
> "I guess I didn’t expect it to be so forceful." 
> 
> "Yeah, physics is funny that way. Try holding on to the bar." 
> 
> Rory grabbed on directly below where Jess’s hand was, and, evidently, the sides of their hands grazed against each other. Such a small act, such minimal contact, and yet it was enough to set Rory’s cheeks ablaze, giving her a striking resemblance to one of those Hummel figurines. 
> 
> This was ridiculous. It’s not like they were even holding hands! They were just… touching hands. 
> 
> How could he make her feel this way? Why did she feel so flustered when she was with Jess? Being around him made her do crazy things like skip school and come to New York to ride the subway. She never skipped school for Dean. In fact, she often used school as an excuse  _not_  to see Dean. And yet here she was, not in school, not with Dean, but with Jess. 
> 
> Another jolt of the train, a shift of bodies, and Jess was now pressed up against her back. 
> 
> Rory was sure all of the blood in her body was now up in her head. She felt almost dizzy with desire and guilt. Not yet had she allowed herself to contemplate her actions, to assess why it was that she had taken the trip down there. To be honest, it wasn’t really something she wanted to think about. Today, for probably the first time in her life, Rory Gilmore had acted without thought, and look where it led her. She was trapped between a disease-infested subway pole and a boy who was most definitely not her boyfriend. 
> 
> Jess craned his neck to check on his companion, and upon seeing her furrowed brow asked,”Does it really take that much concentration not to fall over?” 
> 
> Startled by his voice, as well as the train halting at the next station, Rory did in fact lose her balance, but gained it back quickly, not without the support of Jess’s frame. 
> 
> "Guess so," he concluded. 
> 
> "Hey, first-timer over here. I already knocked into you twice, I’m trying to avoid throwing myself onto any unsuspecting strangers." 
> 
> He laughed under his breath and Rory almost swore she heard him say, “I didn’t mind.” 
> 
> A good amount of people had cleared out, and the two finally had some wiggle room. 
> 
> "The secret," he confessed, " is all in the knees and thighs. You have to lock those bad boys down and pretend they’re glued to the floor. Become one with the train, young Jedi." 
> 
> "You’re a dork," she giggled.
> 
> "Yeah, but you like it." 
> 
> She did. And it scared her. 
> 
> "Watch and learn." 
> 
> Jess placed his feet shoulder-length apart, bending his knees to emphasize the concept of “locking.” He closed his eyes, and found his balance. Slowly but surely, he brought his hand off of the pole and met his palms together at his chest, taking the stance of a Buddha statue (if Buddhas stood and hung out on subways). He even added in a couple “uuuuhhmms” for special effect. 
> 
> Rory was almost impressed, that is, until the train hit another bump and sent him flying into her. 
> 
> They were both laughing now, and when Jess took a bow, Rory clapped for her Jedi Master.
> 
> "Consider it payback," he teased, once again taking hold of the bar. 
> 
> The train made another stop, this time letting off almost everyone but them and maybe fifteen others. 
> 
> "How many more stops?" 
> 
> "Two more, but I think we better sit down before we end up hurting someone."
> 
> Jess gestured to two, now empty, seats next to the door. Rory agreed and sat down closer to the middle, anxious to have a little freedom to move around, and Jess took the seat next to the door. He leaned his arm against the metal and faux-wood barrier and smiled at her. She smiled back, but then quickly looked down and away, not willing to give herself over to his eyes once again. 
> 
> Rory noticed a puddle of, what she hoped was, yellow Gatorade on the seat next to her, and ironically, scooted closer to Jess. She was just about to comment on it, when a man at the opposite end of the car began singing. He wore a puffy, black winter coat, and tattered sweatpants. His greasy, dark hair was matted down by the discolored green beanie that sat on his head, and his face looked like it hadn’t been washed in a year.  
> 
> The man’s voice, however, was quite nice. As he soulfully sang the first couple verses of “My Girl,” he made his way down the length of the car, holding out a styrofoam cup. Rory observed the lack of attention the man received. The rest of the passengers were either reading, plugged in to their CD players, or looking down uncomfortably, attempting to make busy with loose strands of clothing or jacket buttons.  
> 
> She looked over at Jess, who had proceeded to take out his own book and read. She huffed, and began searching her pockets for any bit of change she might be hiding. Jess looked up from his book, noticing her fussing. 
> 
> "What are you doing?" 
> 
> "I’m trying to find some money," she answered, pulling a hair pin and a gum wrapper from her sweater pocket. 
> 
> "Why?" 
> 
> "For the Motown singer headed our way." 
> 
> Jess sighed and pulled out a crumpled dollar from his pocket, handing it to her. She beamed at him, and he rolled his eyes in response, a little smile setting on his face. 
> 
> Rory flattened out the dollar and held it out for the gentleman to see. He came over, pausing in the middle of the chorus to bless her. She side glanced at Jess and he, sighing once again, proceeded to pull another dollar out of his pocket and place it in the cup. He nodded his head and smirked as the man thanked them again and continued down the car. 
> 
> "Thank you," Rory said, almost with a tone of awe.
> 
> "What can I say? You make me a better person, Rory Gilmore." 
> 
> She smiled and leaned back in her seat. He didn’t need her to make him a better person. Regardless of what Stars Hollow or Dean or even her mother might have thought, Rory knew Jess wasn’t a bad guy. He was smart and funny and kind, when he wanted to be. She was grateful that he let her see that. 
> 
> "Welp, you’ve officially experienced the New York City subway. How do you feel?" 
> 
> "Slightly more dirty and jaded, but I feel like I can take on the world now." 
> 
> "Then you’re on your way to becoming a true New Yorker. Soon enough you’ll be ignoring the subway bums like the rest of us."
> 
> "He seemed nice!" 
> 
> "They always do." 
> 
> Rory “hmphed” playfully and stuck her hands in her pockets, taking the form of a dejected child. It was then that she was reminded of the hair pin in her pocket, and a lightbulb went on in her head. 
> 
> She pulled the pin out, held it up, and said, “I have an idea.” 
> 
> "What? Are you planning on picking some locks?" 
> 
> "Nope," she said, mischievously, "I’m going to leave my mark." 
> 
> Jess raised his eyebrows in surprise, waiting for her to go on. 
> 
> "You see, my mom always does this thing where she carves her name in places. She’s done it on almost every inch of Luke’s at this point." 
> 
> "Yeah I’ve noticed. She’s like a cat marking her territory." 
> 
> Rory ignored him and continued. “So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m gonna mark my name somewhere on this subway car, to commemorate Rory Gilmore’s first ride on the subway!” 
> 
> Jess huffed out a laugh. “You’re telling me that the girl who, 10 minutes before, was afraid to eat a hotdog on the platform, is now going to commit vandalism on public property? Wow, the subway really has changed you.” 
> 
> "I’m a new women. Now where to carve…" 
> 
> Jess inconspicuously pointed down at the faux wood panel. Without another word, Rory leaned over him, resting her elbows on his knee for support, and began engraving her initials, using the sharp edge of the hair pin.
> 
> "You’re gonna use that little thing?"
> 
> "Yes… it’s working just fine, see?"
> 
> Jess could make out the beginning of an R from his angle, but shook his head.
> 
> "It’s gonna take too long. I have a swiss army knife in my pocket if you wa-"
> 
> "No no no," Rory shooed him, "this will work just fine."
> 
> He gave in, not in the mood to fight with a Gilmore girl.
> 
> "Okay, but you better hurry up. We get off at the next stop." 
> 
> Within a minute, the letters R and G were messily scrawled into the wooden barrier. Rory sat up and promptly held the pin out to him.
> 
> "Your turn."
> 
> "Why me? It’s not  _my_  first time on the subway.” 
> 
> "True, but this way, years from now, when I’m riding in this very car, on my way to meet up with Christiane Amanpour for lunch, I’ll be able to look down and see that carving, and remember exactly who I was with the day I took my first ride on the subway”
> 
> "You have high hopes for yourself, Gilmore. How do you expect to become a big time journalist if you’re skipping school?"
> 
> "Shut up and do it," she replied, grabbing his wrist and forcing the pin into his hand. 
> 
> "Okay! Okay…" 
> 
> It took Jess about half the time it took Rory to carve JM right below her RG. Rory couldn’t help but think how good they looked next to each other.
> 
> The train pulled into the station, and Jess stood up, turning towards the doors. 
> 
> "This is us." 
> 
> Rory followed him out and up the stairs, dodging the pedestrians who were rushing to beat the closing doors. 
> 
> "So was it all it was cracked up to be?" he said, their pace in perfect synchronization. 
> 
> Rory looked up at him and smiled, the thought of their initials together still floating around in the back of her head.
> 
> "And even more so."

 


End file.
